COLUMBUS, Ohio — A woman indicted on several murder charges after she allegedly met men for sex and drugged them so she could rob them made her first appearance in court on Monday.
Rebecca Auborn was arraigned in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. She faces the following felony charges:
- Four counts of murder
- Four counts of involuntary manslaughter
- Five counts of aggravated robbery
- Five counts of felonious assault
- Five counts of corrupting another with drugs
- One count of tampering with evidence
- Four Counts of trafficking in drugs
Auborn pleaded not guilty to all 28 counts. She also waived her bond.
Last week's indictment stems from a joint investigation by Columbus police homicide detectives and special agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
The Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force received information that a woman was allegedly meeting men for sex in northeast Columbus and then dosing the men with drugs in order to steal their belongings.
In a release from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's office, the incidents took place between December 2022 and June 2023. Yost's office described the incidents as "serial killings."
During the investigation, authorities connected Auborn to several overdoses and robberies:
- Victim 1, attempted overdose on 12/13/2022
- Victim 2, fatal overdose on 1/15/2023
- Victim 3, fatal overdose on 4/1/2023
- Victim 4, fatal overdose on 4/13/2023
- Victim 5, fatal overdose on 6/17/2023
Auborn was arrested in September and charged with murder in connection to the Jan. 15 case. At the time, she told detectives that she supplied a man with drugs that caused his death. She also said she stole from him while he was incapacitated.
Investigators believe additional victims may exist. Yost's office says they are continuing their investigation, with a focus on Auborn's activities between December 2022 and August 2023 within the area of Interstate 71, state Route 161, Cleveland Avenue and East 17th Avenue.
Anyone with information related to overdose deaths that occurred during those time periods and near those locations should contact the Columbus Division of Police homicide tip line at 614-645-2228.